Sunday, March 24, 2013

Saturday the staff here at Victoria Daily Photo took a day trip to Galiano Island. This is one of the Southern Gulf Islands and the ride is quite lovely winding through the islands and Active Pass. It was sunny but quite chilly; after a little while on the deck it was necessary to go back inside to warm up! - Fern

I've done a few summer cycling / camping trips to the islands in the last several years.

Take the ferry to Saltspring stay at Ruckles Provincial Park. Cycle to Ganges have lunch at the funky Treehouse Pub.

Take the Saltspring to Galiano ferry, stay at the provincial park at Montague Harbour.

Get down to the west-facing shell beach to see some fabulous sunsets.

Take the free 'rock'n'roll' bus to the Hummingbird Pub for a meal.

Also, hike to the top of Mt. Galiano for spectacular views of all the Gulf Islands.

Take the ferry over to Mayne Island where you can camp overlooking Active Pass and enjoy awesome views of the ferries going right past your doorstep... BUT be prepared to wake up early as the first ferry of the day sounds its horn going through the pass!!!

Also, Mayne has some awesome hiking on the "outside" (eastern) edge of the island. Lunch at the Springwater Lodge is solid if unremarkable but on a sunny day you can watch the ferries go by and -- if you're lucky -- see some orcas passing through.

Take a day trip to Saturna to see the New England-style station at the far end of the island.

If you poke around my Alternate Tales blog -- link on your main page -- for Sep 2011, you can see some of the photos that of the last trip my wife and I did.

Situated on the far west coast of Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Victoria is the capital city of the Province of British Columbia. Its benign climate (the warmest winters in Canada) and placid lifestyle make it a favorite retirement location as well as a popular tourist destination. About 400,000 people live in Victoria and adjacent communities.Click the photos to see them larger!